News & Events

The Mount Mercy University Students in Human Resource Management (SIHRM) club was once again awarded the 2017–2018 Merit Award by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) for providing superior growth and development opportunities to its student chapter members.

“The club has achieved the SHRM merit award every year but one since its inception in 2011,” said business faculty member and SIHRM co-advisor Tracy Tunwall about the club’s success. “This is of course attributed to good student leadership, as well as support from our local SHRM parent chapters and the companies that provide their time and talents to further student experience in the profession.”

The SHRM student chapter merit award program, which began in 1972, was created to encourage student chapters to require ongoing excellence in the following areas: student chapter requirements, chapter operations, chapter programming and professional development of members, support of the human resource profession, and SHRM engagement.

Mount Mercy’s SIHRM club focuses on networking within the community as well as developing management leadership skills that make students attractive to potential employers. Students have received over $2,000 in scholarship funding through their participation in the club.

SIHRM activities have included hosting the Iowa Senior Human Resource Association quarterly meeting on campus, participating in the Eastern Iowa Human Resource Association student meeting, and multiple employer site visits including Rockwell Collins, United Fire Group and GreatAmerica Financial Services. The club participates in fundraising activities each year and multiple service contributions in the community, and helped to coordinate and fund the Mount Mercy University Career Fair and career nights.

“Young professionals like these being honored at distinguished student chapters play a vital role in SHRM’s success,” said Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, president and chief executive officer of SHRM. “I’m especially honored to thank this year’s award winners because they offer excellent evidence that SHRM’s future is indeed in good hands.”

SHRM student chapters can earn an award based on the number of activities they complete during the merit award cycle, which lasted from April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018.